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c.o. bigelow black, blue, green, red

post #1 of 18
11/9/07 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
Out of the 4 i give props to black. Blue and green smell just alike, i think they were really stretching....they are very fresh and aquatic....red smells like if axe made a sandalwood cologne spray....black however smells like a toned down, less loud gaultier2, go figure since it has vanilla and amber in it....hmmmmmmm?
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post #2 of 18
11/9/07 at 10:50pm
Is black the one with the "agarwood" in it? Think i tried them at the mall a couple days ago...
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post #3 of 18
11/10/07 at 10:34am
Black and Red are the best. I don't get the "axe" connection with Red, it smelled pretty good to me.

For $20 you can't go wrong with any of them. They all smell better than many $50 designer fragrances!
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post #4 of 18
11/10/07 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Moon View Post

For $20 you can't go wrong with any of them. They all smell better than many $50 designer fragrances!

Disclaimer: I work part-time at a Bath & Body Works store. Just so you know.

I think that the Elixir line is a really good value for the money. Blue is a standard aquatic, maybe not terribly exciting but it has been very popular. I am using it as my everyday office scent. I like Green better; it is still fresh, but it is green and citric and not aquatic. I like Red on other people, especially gender-bending women, but it just doesn't seem to work on me. I agree that Black is the real standout; vanilla is dominant, but there is something else really of-the-moment going on in it.

None of these scents really redefine the art of perfumery, and we Basenoters probably have something similar in our collection already. But, I don't really expect iconoclasm for twenty bucks. The packaging is very substantial and masculine, too.

One tip, though: I would get the cologne rather than the body spray. I bought all the body sprays when they came out, and they smell really good for about an hour. Then they fade away to nothing. The colognes are actually quite strong.
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post #5 of 18
11/10/07 at 9:16pm
I own the Elixir Green cologne. It's woody, clean, and a very nice scent, but unfortunately it only lasts on my skin for about an hour or two. I also own the Elixir Blue body spray, and I agree with Advocate; it only lasts for about an hour and it's gone.
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post #6 of 18
11/15/07 at 11:16am
Just a follow-up:

For fans of John Varvatos: The Black Hair & Body Wash is very similar to Varvatos. I bought it and it's very nice.

The Green is basically Polo Blue.

The nice thing is that they are not so overpowering that they derail your SOTD choice. They settle down after 15 minutes or so. For $10 for a large tube, it's a good buy.

THEY LATHER UP AWESOME!!
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post #7 of 18
11/15/07 at 11:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckW View Post

The Green is basically Polo Blue.

Interesting. I thought that the Blue was like Polo Blue.
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post #8 of 18
11/15/07 at 12:38pm
I have not smelled the Blue, but my impression of Green all along has been a similarity to Polo Blue, but that's just from the Hair and Body Wash.

Is the Black a decent cologne in terms of sillage and duration?
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post #9 of 18
11/15/07 at 1:39pm
The only one I would consider buying is the black one. Bath and Body Works doesn't carry the C.O. Bigelow Bay Rum Cologne and Body Wash anymore, but you can still find them on the Bigelow website. It's packaged like the Elixers, but is more expensive ... and better!
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post #10 of 18
11/15/07 at 7:39pm
These all smell fairly generic and not very interesting to me. Yes, they are not expensive, but that alone would not compel me to buy any of them. Tested and proved somewhat wanting, IMHO.
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post #11 of 18
11/15/07 at 9:16pm
The black one is sort of a Varvatos-Bvlgari Black hybrid. Not bad at all.
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post #12 of 18
1/8/08 at 10:46pm
I smelled them last time I was in B&B Works which was a few months ago so my memory is a little hazy.

Blue was totally underwhelming as I recall.
Red I liked a lot, almost bought it.
Green was also very nice but not wowey.
Black smelled very close to Stetson Black I thought, still very nice though.
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post #13 of 18
1/9/08 at 7:06am
Thread Starter 
someone gave me the red bodywash for Christmas....its not too bad....its straight up and down sandalwood....i stll think black is the best...it smells like gaultier2 light
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post #14 of 18
1/9/08 at 8:48pm
Black is my Favorite from this lot.
Gary
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post #15 of 18
1/16/08 at 1:50pm
Just walked next door to smell these and only sprayed on the red and black. Been about an hour and half.

Black is ok, liked it better at first spray.

Red = Obsession Night
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post #16 of 18
1/17/08 at 11:12am
Picked up black and red the other day for 50% off at Bigs. Black reminds me a bit of Allure but I don't get much of the advertised Agarwood. Maybe M7 has spoiled me. I do get plenty of Tonka & Musk though. Red has a nice balance of the fruit/spice notes but the longevity is poor.
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post #17 of 18
2/21/08 at 7:37pm
I find all the comments here very intersting esp the lasting of these fragances on everyone.

At the end of christmas I scored a large body wash and cologne from $14.00 on clearance. Well this past week I gave it a try and I found this scent very harsh when first sprayed on it did mello a little like and reminds me of Cordovan by BR.

The scent does last a very very long time on my skin in clothes too.
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post #18 of 18
2/21/08 at 7:48pm
Thread Starter 
red...obsession night? Really...i dont smell it at all......i just get sandalwood.

Black....to me smells like Gaultier2....i like it alot.

I was not a fan of blue or green
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Male Fragrance Discussion › MFD Archive › c.o. bigelow black, blue, green, red